Southwest Florida tourism shatters record for May

Tourism typically takes a holiday in May, marking the official end to the high travel season and the start of a summer lull.

But in an unexpected boost to regional visitor industries, Sarasota County shattered records for total tourists and spending last month that had been set in 2012.

In Manatee County, the number of May visitors was up 7.1 percent, and direct spending rose 13.2 percent, continuing a surge that puts the two-county area on pace for another record year in 2013.

The numbers are significant because both counties were bracing for a visitor drop-off, the result of an earlier-than-normal Easter holiday — when many tourists and winter snowbirds depart Southwest Florida.

“We were prepared for an OK April and May,” said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, the county's tourism agency. “I'm happy to say I was wrong.”

Southwest Florida is not the only part of the state enjoying a tourism resurgence, either — the result of an improved economy and stock market gains that have boosted retirees' and families' discretionary spending abilities.

Visit Florida — the state's tourism agency — has reported that more than 26 million visitors came to Florida from January to March, the largest number of tourists to the state in a three-month period in history.

That uptick, meanwhile, has boosted tourism-related employment to record levels as well. There were a record 1.09 million Floridians whose jobs were tied to the tourism industry in the first months of 2013, Visit Florida noted.

At the same time, tourism taxes rose 5.1 percent in January and February, and average daily rental room rates rose nearly 7 percent to $136.45.

Florida drew a record 91.4 million visitors in 2012.

The number of visitors in Sarasota County was up 8.6 percent in May when compared with the same month in 2012, a record last year.

Direct visitor spending in the county last month rose 14.2 percent, a sign that tourists have bucked a trend set during the Great Recession, data from Visit Sarasota County shows.

From 2008 to 2010, by contrast, while visitor levels remained high, many travelers would either cut short their stays or curtail spending — or both.

Hotel occupancy was up 6 percent in Sarasota County in May, and the average daily room rate rose 5.5 percent.

In Manatee County, by comparison, average occupancy was up 5.8 percent from the same month a year ago and the average daily room rate increased 3.6 percent.

Haley said about half of the travelers who visited in May came from the New York and New England areas, the possible result of a marketing campaign.

“I think this is a residual effect of our Sarasota in Shorts campaign that ran with JetBlue earlier in the year,” Haley said. “I think we're just seeing the delayed impact from that.”

The $500,000 campaign between the county and JetBlue Airlines began last summer in an effort to combat the sting of losing AirTran Airways, which pulled out from the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in August 2012.

In Manatee, about half of all of May's visitors drove to the area, said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention Center and Visitors Bureau.

That could prove significant for the months ahead because typically tourists in summer drive to Southwest Florida from markets like Orlando, Tampa and even St. Petersburg.

“Our new brand has been in the marketplace since October, which really has given the consumer a better idea of our destination,” Falcione said.

The county debuted a new look and feel for Bradenton area marketing campaigns and a new website in October, and coined the slogan “Real. Authentic. Florida,” with the help of Aqua Marketing & Communications Inc. in St. Petersburg.

The increased traffic also is being felt at individual properties, some of which are reporting substantial gains.

The Country Inn & Suites off State Road 70 near Interstate 75 in Manatee has seen more traffic in May this year than in years past, said Tom Yorke, the hotel's assistant general manager.

“It's been a combination of sporting events and a healthy number of people who are looking to buy a home in the area,” Yorke said. “We've seen a lot of activity recently where guests are looking to move into the area permanently.”

The gains also appear to be cutting across product lines and price points.

Both the Lido Beach Resort and Resort at Longboat Key Club — two upscale properties owned and managed by Delray Beach-based Ocean Properties — had strong occupancies in May, said spokeswoman Sandra Rios.

“Destination weddings were very strong for us in the month of May,” Rios said. “Many brides from destinations outside of Florida find the shoulder season pricing as an opportunity to have their dream wedding at a spectacular beachfront location very appealing.”